Welcome to our first blog of 2026.
We hope you are ready to jump into the Spring term and start reading some exciting new books. Please keep your book reviews coming in on Libresoft for achievement points. You can also gain more achievement points when you reach all of your goals for the Reading Challenge on page 25 of your school planner.
Our World Book Day Author Ele Fountain will be visiting our School 2nd March, which we are getting very excited about. All of Ele’s books are available to borrow in our school library and on Sora.
With Valentine’s Day approaching, get ready for “Blind Date with a Book” for all year groups to be surprised with a mystery read.
Valentines Day Books
This Valentine’s Day borrow a ‘Blind Date with a Book’ and discover a story you might never have picked for yourself. Choose a wrapped mystery book from the display. Check it out with the librarians and let the surprise lead you on a brand‑new reading adventure!
Check out our romance books in our school library and on Sora.
Get Ready for World Book Day 5th March 2026
Our school library is busily preparing for World Book Day on 5th March 2026. We have lots
of things happening over the week, kicking off with our visit on 2nd March 2026 from Ele Fountain. Ele has won four awards for her novel “Boy 87.” She will be talking to Years 7-9 about two of her recent books Fake and Wild. Ele will be doing a book signing for all students on the day.
Picture Credit: Debra Hurford-Brown
We have all of Ele’s books in our school library: Fake, Wild, Boy 87; Storm Child; Lost; and Melt.
Why not get ahead and borrow a book today from our school library or download an ebook or audio book from soraapp.com.
Remember to keep safe online. Always ask your parent/guardian or a member of staff if you are unsure.
What’s Happening for World Book Day?
We will be showing our annual Masked Reader activity for students to guess “Who’s behind the mask?” Will you be able to guess the person, book and author they are reading?
World Book Day tokens will be available and if you can’t wait, look up the World Book Day website to find out more about how you can download digital tokens to spend in shops and stores and also the stockists.
Remember to keep safe online. Always ask your parent/guardian or a member of staff if you are unsure.
To keep the fun rolling in our school library you’ll be able to walk round our “Wall of Fame” gallery in and around the library… stay tuned for more news!
National Story Telling Week 2 – 8 February 2026
Think for a moment: is there a favourite story you never get tired of hearing? And have you ever found yourself retelling it to someone else and then passing it on, adding your own spark, letting it live again? That’s the magic of storytelling.
National Storytelling Week celebrates the joy of sharing stories out loud and encouraging everyone to read for pleasure. The theme for 2026 is Soundtrack your story — a reminder that every one of us carries a musical narrative through our lives. Your story might be found in the songs you can’t help singing along to; film scores and game soundtracks; the rhythms felt through British Sign Language; they all move us in unique ways.
So, this National Storytelling Week, explore the soundtrack of your life, and perhaps most importantly… who will you share it with?
Here are some popular books that you have been borrowing: One of us is Lying by Karen M. McManus; Spy x Family by Tatsuya Endo; Bodyguard Target by Chris Bradford.
City of Glass by Cassandra Clare; The Upper World by Femi Gaduga; The Song Rising by Samantha Shannon.
How to Solve a Murder by Derek and Pauline Tremain; Arcanum Unbounded by Brandon Sanderson; The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman.
A Song of Ice and Fire Series
Reviewed by Kiaan 10M
I read a series called ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ by George. R. R. Martin. It is a fantastic series about how different houses in the fictional country of Westeros fight for the Iron Throne.
It has one of the most complex and elaborate plots I have ever read. There are many protagonists and one thing I like about the series was that although it was a fantasy series with dragons, it was also brutally realistic and dark. None of the characters had plot armour making every page feel like full of suspense.
There are 5 books in this series (plus two sequels) and although they look very long, they are surprisingly quick and easy to read. This series also was the inspiration for the incredibly famous T.V show, ‘Game of Thrones’.
I recommend this series to children aged 14 and over as there are a few mature themes. Overall if you like fantasy and elaborate plots and fascinating wars and medieval fighting, I highly recommend this series. I would rate it a 9.8/10.
New Book Lists for all Students on Libresoft
We have collated on Libresoft some new reading lists for all year groups; there are some great ideas on what to read next. To view them, simply logon to Libresoft to view the homepage, click on the carousel to view the drop down that says reading list for you year group. Once accessed, you will see the list, if you click on a book, you will be taken to the synopsis and genre of the book. To view the entire list at once click:
- Catalogue
- look for the “filter Reading Lists”dropdown at the top of the page
- select your year group reading list
Check out your year group’s reading list today or ask the librarians for a pdf copy to be emailed to you.
Happy Reading!
Remember you can reserve books easily by logging onto Libresoft, selecting the book you wish to borrow, press the drop-down button to the right of the book and press reserve book. If you are struggling with how to reserve a book, come and speak to the librarians.
Child Mental Health Week 9-15th February 2026
Every year Children’s Mental Health week shines a light on the importance of young people’s mental and emotional well-being. This year’s theme is “This Is My Place.” It’s about being yourself without judgement, being known for who you are, and having a safe space to grow and support others.
We have a great range of books designed to inspire you, promote overall wellbeing and support emotions: Be Calm by Marcus Sedgwick (KS3); The Teenage Guide to Stress by Nicola Morgan (KS3/4 – 13+); My Awesome Guide to Getting Good At Stuff by Matthew Syed (KS3); LADS by Alan Bissett (KS3/4 – 13+); Dare to be you by Matthew Syed (KS3).
REMEMBER
It’s good to talk. If you feel unsafe, worried, anxious, stressed or just want to talk about something that is on your mind, you can speak to:
- Your Form tutor
- Head of Year
- The student support officers Ms Lapsley and Ms Webb
- Or any member of staff in our school community, will all be willing to listen and try to help you if ask them.
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all our students, visit the Wellbeing and Safeguarding section of our school website:
www.suttongrammar.sutton.sch.uk/information/student-wellbeing
Go All In – National Year of Reading 2026
This year our school library will be supporting the Go All In campaign to support the National Year of Reading by Department of Education and National Literacy Trust.
The campaign encourages everyone to make time to Go All In and enjoy reading about the everyday things they love — whether that’s music playlists, football, films, food, or family time. And you can do it in whatever format suits you best, from novels and ebooks to comics, blogs, and more.
Have you seen our latest books that have come into the library ready for borrowing?
Check out our New Books Shelf and discover recently added books on the SGS Libresoft homepage: Roar by Manjeet Man (KS3); Welcome to Killer Camp by Cythnia Murphy (KS3/4); Marble Hill Murders by Anthony Horowitz (KS4/5); When We Flew Away by Alice Hoffman (KS3); Skulduggery Pleasant, A Heart Full of Hatred by Derek Landy (KS3).
